At the present time, it is quite common for a commuter to travel for several hours each way to and from work each day. The commute often is via a form of transportation, such as train, bus or the like, which permits the commuter time to read a newspaper during the commute.
While permitting the commuter the luxury of having time to read, this luxury has its own problems. These problems are associated with the transfer of newsprint from the paper to the commuter's hands and clothing. Another problem for the commuter is associated with the movement of the paper caused by the movement of the vehicle and the other passengers. Such movement makes it difficult to read, and thus reduces the reading efficiency of the commuter.
Still another problem associated with this mode of reading is associated with damage to the paper itself. That is, the paper can become soiled due to liquids, such as coffee, or the like being spilled onto the paper, or due to cigarette ashes being dropped onto the paper.
Still further, many commuters attempt to read a newspaper in crowded conditions, and thus like to fold the paper in a manner that presents various columns for reading. That is, the paper is folded over itself longitudinally and/or transversely into halves and/or fourths. For the sake of convenience, this will be termed "columnar" reading of a paper.
Thus, the problems associated with reading papers under the just-mentioned conditions are several-fold and include problems connected with the damage to the commuter, to the paper itself, and with reading ease and efficiency.
It is here noted that while the present disclosure will refer to a paper, such as a newspaper, this terminology is not intended to be limiting, and can include magazines as well as books and any other type of printed material commonly read during a commute.
While there are several devices on the market which are intended to prevent the transfer of newsprint from the paper to the user's hands, there is no device known to the present inventor which also solves the other problems associated with protection of the paper itself as well as the problem of decreased reading efficiency due to the movement of the paper during the reading process as well as the problems associated with columnar reading. For this reason, none of the present devices has attained the total acceptance of commuters that is necessary for commercial success.
Accordingly, there is need for a device which addresses all of the above-mentioned problems.